How Much Writing Will You Do As A College Undergrad?

One element considered by the National Survey of Student Engagement, an annual survey done at 1,300 4-year colleges every year, looks at the type of work that college freshmen and seniors do.

The 2008 survey found that first-year students, on average, wrote 92 pages during the academic year, while seniors wrote 146 pages. For freshmen, the majority of these papers were around 5 to 10 pages, with some first-year students writing papers 20 pages or more. When considering majors, students in the social sciences, arts, and humanities wrote much more than other students, such as those majoring in physical or biological sciences.

The upside of all this writing? Students who wrote more were more achieved higher levels of deep learning, student-faculty interaction, and were otherwise more “engaged” in their own learning process. Student “engagement” is associated with higher levels of satisfaction as a student, and therefore increases a student’s odds of continuing his or her education.

Jeffrey Ludovici, M.A., is a national-level higher education consultant based in Pittsburgh. He has worked with students, families, colleges, and other professionals for more than 10 years. He specializes in understanding why students can end up doing poorly in college, as well as what can be done to address the issues.

Welcome To Student Strategy Blog

Good luck for the 2017-18 school year! I have students this term at schools in all U.S. time zones, maybe at your school too! Feel free to write me using the contact page.

This is a place for parents and students trying to find help for issues in college. Problems with grades, transfers, planning, transitioning, and more.

2017 News & Updates

Jeff attended the National Symposium on Student Retention in November of 2017 where he met with college leaders from 400+ schools about helping students to succeed. Jeff is also a member of the National Association of Academic Advisors, and routinely helps students with college success strategies, transferring, picking majors, and other college issues. Please see the program page for more information.

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Jeff consults with students and families across the U.S., including California, New York, Ohio, Illinois, D.C., Maryland, Florida, and other areas. If you are a parent who is seeking services to help a student currently in college, or to plan for college, please use the contact page to write Jeff. There is never a charge for an initial consultation, and he answers all emails within 24 hours.